Luftwaffe << LUFT `vahf` uh >> is the air force branch of the German military. Luftwaffe means air weapon, and is the German term for air force. The original Luftwaffe was created in 1935 and disbanded shortly after Germany’s defeat in World War II (1939-1945). The current Luftwaffe was created in 1956.
Germany’s first air force, the Imperial German Air Service, was dissolved after World War I (1914-1918). In 1933, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party took control of Germany and began rebuilding the air force. The Luftwaffe was formally created in 1935 and flew its first combat missions in support of Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).
Reich Marshal Hermann Göring, a former fighter pilot, commanded the Luftwaffe during World War II. By aligning the air force with the Nazi Party, Göring succeeded in making it a separate force equal in status to the army and navy. The Luftwaffe’s large air fleet included bombers, fighters, gliders, transports, and other planes. Early in the war, the Junkers Ju 87—known as the Stuka (Sturzkampfflugzeug, or dive bomber)—provided crucial ground support for German offensives throughout Europe. Luftwaffe light bombers such as the Dornier Do 17 and Heinkel He 111 also fared well in early campaigns. German fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 proved effective against Allied aircraft throughout much of the war. Allied warplanes eventually overpowered the Luftwaffe, and it was no longer a threat by the time of Germany’s surrender in May 1945. 
In 1949, Germany was divided into two countries—West Germany and East Germany. West Germany joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1955. NATO is a military alliance consisting of the United States, the United Kingdom, and more than 20 other member countries. West Germany’s Luftwaffe was created in 1956 to bolster NATO defenses.
The Luftwaffe merged with the East German air force following Germany’s reunification in 1990. Luftwaffe planes flew combat missions during NATO interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990’s. They also supported Allied efforts during the Afghanistan War (2001-2021). In 2014, the Luftwaffe grounded many of its aging aircraft and withdrew from most of its NATO defense obligations.
Throughout its history, Luftwaffe troops have served as aircrew, antiaircraft gunners, ground crew, engineers, paratroopers, pilots, signalers, and technicians, as well as administrative, instructional, and medical staff. During World War II, Luftwaffe troops also ran prisoner of war camps for captured Allied pilots and aircrew.
